"If, after a rigid examination, it [The Book of Mormon] be
found an imposition, it should be extensively published to the world as such;
the evidences and arguments on which the imposture was detected, should be
clearly and logically stated, that those who have been sincerely yet
unfortunately deceived, may perceive the nature of the deception, and be
reclaimed, and that those who continue to publish the delusion, may be exposed
and silenced, not by physical force, neither by persecutions, bare assertions,
nor ridicule, but by strong and powerful arguments—by evidences adduced from
scripture and reason." (LDS Apostle, Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon,
p. 1)

In 1827, the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith claimed that he
unearthed a record[1]
written on golden plates. In 1830, that "sacred record"[2]
was published in English as the Book of Mormon. Today, the Book
of Mormon is published in its entirety in over 90 different languages.

Leaders of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), mostly rely[3]
upon the
Book of Mormon,[4]
as well as Joseph Smith’s revelations, for doctrine. They do so because Smith
claimed,

“Many
important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible,
or lost before it was compiled." (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Volume 1,
p. 245)

Latter Day Saints envision God as
having a back up plan; ensuring that after the Bible was supposedly corrupted,
another testament would be found to restore it. The glaring problem with this
thinking is: shortly after the Book of Mormon was published, God supposedly
commanded Joseph Smith to restore the Bible to its ancient purity; which Smith
supposedly
did:[5]

"The Lord inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to restore
truths to the Bible text that had become lost or changed since the original
words were written. These restored truths clarified doctrine and improved
scriptural understanding... Because the Lord revealed to Joseph certain truths
that the original authors had once recorded, the Joseph Smith Translation is
unlike any other Bible translation in the world." (LDS.org, The Scriptures
Internet Edition: Introduction to Joseph Smith Translation)

Doesn’t it only make sense that after the Bible
was corrected; and, important truths concerning the salvation of men[6]
had been restored, God’s children would no longer need[7]
“another testament”[8]
to restore[9]
what was lost? Also, one would think Latter-day Saints (Mormons) would switch
over to the Joseph Smith Translation and quit using the Bible which Smith claimed was
corrupted by dishonest scribes. However, they have not! Today Latter-day Saints use the King James
Version of the Bible, with references to the JST in it.
Perhaps the reason the JST is not widely accepted among Latter-day
Saints has to do with its questionable content?

Lost Prophecies About
Joseph Smith Found?

Envision Moses from Old Testament fame, writing an
introduction to Genesis, (Moses One) only to have dishonest scribes remove that
work from the biblical canon. Envision corrupt scribes also going through the
remaining chapters of Genesis and removing thousands of other words which Moses
had written. Then, envision God raising up a seer in the latter-days;
who, under divine inspiration, restored Moses’ lost words to their ancient
purity:

“And that seer will I bless, and they that seek to
destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise I give unto you; for I will
remember you from generation to generation; and his name shall be called Joseph,
and it shall be after the name of his father; and he shall be like unto you;
[Moses] for the thing which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand shall bring
my people unto salvation.” (Genesis 50:33)

Out of all the bibles in the
world, only the Joseph Smith Translation
contains this prophecy; conventional versions end at Genesis 50:26. The JST
contains an extra twelve verses ending at Genesis 50:38. The “seer” mentioned in
the text is referring to Joseph Smith. His father’s name was also Joseph; and,
there are other details in this prophecy that fit with another supposed lost
prophecy about Smith:

“And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my
words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write,
behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again
among the children of men—among as many as shall believe.” (Moses 1:41)

God is supposedly speaking to Moses about a book Moses
shall write, and how men will take many words away from it; yet God will raise
up another like unto Moses and the missing words shall be

“had again.”

When Joseph Smith uttered Moses’
lost words to his scribe, and then realized he was the very person spoken of in
the prophecy, this was possibly one of the greatest events in the history of
religion!Or, perhaps it was a bald faced lie of grandiose
proportions?

Details from the Prophecies:

1. Words shall be taken from God’s record which Moses
is yet to write.

According to the prophecy in Moses 1:41, Moses had yet to
write the book; so, why would God say 18 verses earlier:

“And now of this thing Moses bore record; but because of
wickedness it is not had among the children of men.” (Moses 1:23)

The time key in Moses 1 is
established in verse (41) where God supposedly speaks to Moses about a book
which he shall
write:

“And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my
words as naught and take many of them from the book which you shall write…”
(Moses 1:41)

The words of Moses could not have
been lost before they were written! It sounds like someone could not keep their
story straight!

One can also find inconsistencies in the Book of Mormon and they
are glaring!

Book of Mormon Inconsistencies:

Unlike the Bible, the Book of Mormon
paints a picture of New Testament life in America hundreds of years before
Christ instituted the New Covenant:

"Nephi tells why Christ was baptized—Men must follow
Christ, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end to be
saved—Repentance and baptism are the gate to the strait and narrow path—Eternal
life comes to those who keep the commandments after baptism. Between 559 and 545
B.C." (Introduction to 2 Nephi 31)

The
Book of
Mormon also records that the Gentiles need
to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ:

“And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews,
that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced
also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God.” (2 Nephi, 26:12)

That 2 Nephi text is noteworthy
because Christ’s Apostles learned that the gospel was open to the Gentiles only
after the New Testament Church was established. Holy men in the Book of Mormon
understood that the gospel would be open to the Gentiles a whopping 577 years
before Christ’s apostles did!

Also,
the Book
of Mormon claims that believers in Christ
were called Christians, 72 years[10]before Jesus was born:

“And those who did belong to the church were faithful;
yea, all those who were true believers in Christ took upon them, gladly, the
name of Christ, or Christians as they were called, because of their belief in
Christ who should come.” (Alma 46:15)

In the Bible,
believers weren’t called Christians until after the New Testament Church was
established.

Holy Ghost Poured Out Before Pentecost:

The Book of Mormon
even has believers receiving the Holy Ghost, with evidence of speaking in
tongues, about 578 years before the Holy Spirit was poured out in Jerusalem:

“And also, the voice of the Son came unto me, saying: He
that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like
unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall
follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception
before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the
Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea,
by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his
word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism
of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels,
and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.” (2 Nephi 31:12-13)

In contrast, the Bible
records that Jesus told his disciples:

“For John truly baptized with water: but ye shall be
baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5, KJV)

Christ’s own disciples did not have the Holy Ghost when he spoke those words.
They received the Holy Spirit in 34 A.D. — on the day of Pentecost. Not in 545
B.C. like Book of Mormon
peoples supposedly did. According to the Bible,
Christ’s disciples could not receive the Holy Spirit before[11]
Christ’s death, resurrection, and exaltation.[12]

It doesn’t help
matters that the Joseph Smith Translation reads exactly the same as the
King James Version in both key
passages which speak of the Holy Spirit only being given after Christ’s
resurrection: John 16:7 and Acts 2:32.

The Record Gets Worse:

There is the unbelievable
account of every single person from both the Nephites and the Lamanites
converting to the Church of Christ:[13]

“And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the
people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both
Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among
them, and every man did deal justly one with another.” (4 Nephi 1:2)

According to the story, over the span of one to two years, every single person
in both North and South America converted unto the Lord.Orson Pratt, one of the founding Twelve
Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, explained it this
way:

"For after He [Christ] arose from the dead, and finished his ministry at
Jerusalem, and ascended to heaven, he descended in the presence of the Nephites,
who were assembled round about their temple in the northern parts of South
America. ... The Nephites and Lamanites were all converted unto the Lord,
both in South and North America: and they dwelt in righteousness above three
hundred years; but towards the close of the fourth century of the Christian era,
they had so far apostatized from God, that he suffered great judgments to fall
upon them. The Lamanites, at that time, dwelt in South America, and the Nephites
in North America." (A INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF SEVERAL REMARKABLE VISIONS... ,
Pratt 1840, 1st ed. Edinburgh Scotland pp. 20-21)

One might wonder why the gospel of Christ spread faster in America than it did
in
Palestine?And, why it was so much more
effective in America?

The Book of Mormon
goes on to explain:

“…there was no contention in the land, because of the
love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people.

And there were no
envying, nor strife, nor tulmults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor
any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people
among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.

There were no
robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites;
but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.

And how blessed
were they! …and there was no contention in all the land.” (4 Nephi 1:15-18)

Can
you imagine two entire nations — consisting of hundreds of thousands of people,
if not millions — living year after year, for one hundred and
seventy four years
straight[14]
without
anyone envying what another person had, or
lusting after another person’s spouse, or contending with
anyone about anything? This sounds more like a fairytale rather than the true
record of early American life. One thing is certain: It doesn’t come close to
representing Biblical Christianity, because there were contentions[15]
in the early church, as well as accounts of people lying.[16]

Also, in 35 A.D.,
evangelizing every
corner of the North and South American continent in less than two years would
have been nearly impossible. Obviously people couldn’t turn on the nightly
news and learn about Jesus Christ's appearance to the Nephites. There were no
televisions; radios, phones, or any other type of device which could have
provided long distance communication. Brigham Henry Roberts, who was an LDS
General Authority and Assistant Church Historian, examined the literary style
within the Book of Mormon and concluded:

“The narrative proceeds in characteristic disregard of
conditions necessary to its reasonableness, as if it were a tale told by a
child, with utter disregard for consistency." (Studies of the Book of Mormon,
Roberts 1985, p. 251)

Book of Mormon
Prophecy:

Consider the ease in which holy
men from the book of Book of Mormon
prophesied:

“And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the
Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and
his mother shall be called Mary.

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come
unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this
they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge
him, and shall crucify him.

And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and
behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done
that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men” (Mosiah 3:8-10).

In
the Book
of Mormon we find that our ancient American
ancestors had a good understanding of Christ’s future ministry hundreds of years
before Jesus lived. The Book of Mormon
has prophets in America teaching men to believe in Christ; teaching about
Christ’s kingdom; teaching about Christ’s suffering and death on the cross; and,
persuading people to come unto Christ, a whopping 500[17]years before Jesus was born:

“And we also had many revelations, and the spirit of much
prophecy; wherefore, we knew of Christ and his kingdom, which should come.

Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we
might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God…

Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men
not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would
believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame
of the world...” (Jacob 1:6-8)

Contrast the Book of Mormon peoples understanding of
Christ’s suffering and death on the cross with Christ’s own disciples
understanding of the same events:

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to
Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and
teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised
to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This
shall never happen to you!’” (Matthew 16:21-22)

Why is it that people from the Book
of Mormon, who were living in America, knew all about Christ’s coming ministry,
yet people living in Israel did not? Something seems very wrong![18]

Let’s Do Some Math:

The
King James Version of the Bible was
published over 200 years before the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith had access to the King James Version during the very time the
Book of
Mormon was supposedly translated. It
certainly would have been possible for Smith and his associates to reproduce portions of the Book of Mormon
storyline from the KJV. That would explain how the supposed Book of Mormon peoples knew so
much more about Christ’s ministry than peoples from the Bible.

Identical passages are found in Mark
13:31
and Luke 21:33.
In the
Joseph Smith Translation, the same reading
is given in Mark and Luke:

“…my words shall not pass away…”

Yet, Matthew’s gospel was altered slightly to read:

“…my
word shall not pass away…”

If what Jesus Christ said is true,
that his words or word

“shall not pass away,”

then there would be no need for another testament
to be found, to restore
Christ’s gospel.

Daniel C. Peterson, who is a professor at the LDS Brigham
Young University, said,

“…if the Book of Mormon were false, little or nothing
that is distinctive to our faith would stand. Joseph Smith's prophetic mission
and all of the other revelations that came through him would be called into
question.” (The Keystone of Our Religion, Daniel C. Peterson)

I might add, if the Book of Mormon were false,
then the LDS Church’s doctrine of a Universal Apostasy[19]
and a need for the gospel’s restitution could also be pure fiction.

Some might be thinking:

■"What about the
ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by heavenly
messengers?

At one point in time, Joseph Smith began telling a story of John the Baptist,
who was now an angel, appearing to him and Oliver Cowdery,
and ordaining them to the Aaronic Priesthood:

"The messenger who visited us on this occasion and
conferred this [Aaronic] Priesthood upon us, said that his name was John, the
same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted
under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the
Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time be
conferred on us... It was on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, that we were
ordained under the hand of this messenger, and baptized. (Joseph Smith— 1838
History, 2:72)

Although Smith claimed this event happened in 1829, there is no record of it
during the Church's formative years.

The first revelation to mention that the Aaronic and/or Melchizedek Priesthood
were offices to be conferred on members,

"in the church,"

is found in section III of the
1835 Doctrine and Covenants:

"There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely: the Melchizedek, and the
Aaronic, including the Levitical priest-hood. Why the first is called the
Melchizedek priesthood, is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest:
before his day it was called the holy priesthood, after the order of the Son
of God; but out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to
avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient
days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek priesthood.
(1835 Doctrine and Covenants p. 82 — view original document)

Today the LDS Church touts the restoration of the
Priesthood as a foundational teaching. Yet, the term Priesthood cannot
be found in the 1833 Book of Commandments; which was a forerunner to the
Doctrine and Covenants, neither can
the story
of John the Baptist appearing to Joseph Smith and/or Oliver Cowdery:

"The important details that are missing from the 'full
history' of 1834 are likewise missing from the Book of Commandments in 1833. The
student would expect to find all the particulars of the Restoration in this
first treasured set of 65 revelations, the dates of which encompassed the
bestowals of the two Priesthoods, but they are conspicuously absent.... The
notable revelations on Priesthood in the Doctrine and Covenants before referred
to, Sections 2 and 13, are missing, and Chapter 28 gives no hint of the
Restoration which, if actual, had been known for four years.
More than four
hundred words were added to this revelation of August 1829 in Section 27 of the
Doctrine and Covenants, the additions made to include the names of heavenly
visitors and two separate ordinations. The Book of Commandments gives the duties
of Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons and refers to Joseph's apostolic
calling but there is no mention of Melchizedek Priesthood, High Priesthood,
Seventies, High Priests, nor High Councilors. These words were later inserted
into the revelation on Church organization and government of April, 1830, making
it appear that they were known at that date, but they do not appear in the
original, Chapter 24 of the Book of Commandments three years later. Similar
interpolations were made in the revelations known as Sections 42 and 68"
(Problems In Mormon Text, by LaMar Petersen, pp. 7-8).

The 1833 Book of Commandments
contains the first 65 of Joseph's Smith's revelations, dating from July 1828, to
September 1831. The revelations from the Book of Commandments were reprinted in the Doctrine and
Covenants. Beginning with the fourth edition in
1876,[21]
an additional revelation
was inserted between revelation #1 and #2:

1833 Book of Commandments

Chapter I

Harken, O ye people of my church,
saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon
all men....

? ◄

?
◄

?
◄

?
◄

Chapter II

The works, and the
designs, and the purpose of God, can not be frustrated, neither can
they come to nought, for God doth not walk in crooked paths...

2012 Doctrine and Covenants

Section 1

1 Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith
the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all
men....

========================================

Section 2

1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of
Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord.

2 And
he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promise made to the
fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.

3 If
it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his
coming.

========================================

Section 3

1 The works, and the designs, and the purpose of
God, can not be frustrated, neither can they come to nought.

2
For God doth not walk in crooked paths...

One might wonder if a revelation mentioning the Priesthood should
rightfully have its place amongst the Church's foundational work

s?
While addressing this
issue, scholars from
Brigham Young University spelled out:

"Details regarding the
restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, including John the Baptist's role in the
event, were seldom if ever shared prior to 1832..." (Priesthood Restoration
Documents, Brian Q. Cannon and BYU Studies Staff, BYU Studies 35. no. 4,
1995-96, p. 164)

We can get some idea as to when this Priesthood doctrine
was shared with the Church by comparing Joseph Smith's 1838 History, with his
1832-33 translation of the Old Testament book
of Malachi:

Joseph Smith—History 1838

Vol. 1

38 And again, he [the angel Moroni] quoted the fifth verse
thus:

Behold, I will reveal unto you
the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

39 He also
quoted the next verse differently:

And he shall
plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the
fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.
If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his
coming. (Joseph Smith—History 1:38-39)

Joseph Smith Translation

1832-33

Malachi Chapter 4

5"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;

6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The quote from Smith's 1838 History does mention the Priesthood.
Yet, in the JST, there is no mention of the Priesthood. So,
it appears the Priesthood doctrine was introduced sometime between 1832 and
1838. One thing is certain, the 1838 History is worded the same as the
revelation in question:

Joseph Smith—History 1838

Vol. 1

38 And again, he [the angel Moroni] quoted the fifth verse
thus:

Behold, I will reveal unto you
the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming
of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

39 He also
quoted the next verse differently:

And he shall
plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the
fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.
If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his
coming. (Joseph Smith—History 1:38-39)

2012 Doctrine and Covenants

Section 2

1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of
Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord.

2 And
he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promise made to the
fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.

3 If
it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his
coming.

If the Priesthood was not introduced until a year
or more after the formation of the Church, this would invalidate the
LDS doctrine[22]
which maintains that a true Church could not be established
until the priesthood was first restored. On this subject, David Whitmer, who was a witness[23] to early Mormon history, wrote:

"This matter of two orders of priesthood in the Church
of Christ, and lineal priesthood of the old law being in the church, all
originated in the mind of Sydney Rigdon. He explained these things to Brother
Joseph in his way, out of the old Scriptures, and got Brother Joseph to inquire,
etc. He would inquire, and as mouthpiece speak out the revelations just as they
had it fixed in their hearts. As I have said before, according to the desires of
the heart, the inspiration comes, but it may be the spirit of man that gives
it.... This is the way the High Priests and the 'priesthood' as you have it, was
introduced into the Church of Christ almost two years after its beginning—and
after we had baptized and confirmed about two thousand souls into the church"
(An Address To All Believers In Christ, David Whitmer, p. 64).

Based upon the evidence, it's clear that the LDS doctrines of both the
Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood were introduced[24] into the Church
about two years after its formation, then backdated to appear as if they were known from the
beginning.

Conclusion:

In this study, we have looked into subject matter which
demonstrates:

1. The prophecies in the
Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible about Joseph Smith, that Smith claimed were Moses'
lost words, are not authentic! This puts every word which Smith changed or
added to the Bible in question.

2. The account in the
Book of
Mormon about two entire nations living without
envy, strife, lying, or any manner of
lasciviousness for 174 years in a row, doesn't come close to actual history of
people anywhere on the planet during any age; so, it's most likely a made-up
story.

3.
The story of the Priesthood being restored in 1829, not only lacks a verifiable
record; the records which do exist deny its legitimacy.

For some of us, letting go of the LDS faith may be the
key to spiritual growth: Cutting out the untruths, removing what Joseph Smith
added to God's word; and, disregarding what he changed. Envision stepping back
in time to the day the New Testament Church was born. Peter was addressing a
crowd in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-39). The world was just
beginning to hear about salvation through Jesus Christ. Envision walking among
the early saints and listening to the words of Paul. This was long before Joseph
Smith's time. These were the days when the saints were embracing pure Christian
faith. That faith is still available today; it can be found through a
personal relationship with the savior: Jesus Christ.

[1]
“Joseph there is a record for you and you must get it one day… the
record is on a side hill on the Hill of Cumorah 3 miles from this place
remove the Grass and moss and you will find a large flat stone pry that
up and you will find the record under it laying on 4 pillars—<of cement>
then the angel left him…” (First draft of Lucy Smith's History, p. 46,
LDS Church Archives/Early Mormon Documents, Vol. 1, p. 290)

[2]
“He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I
saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the
indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…” (Joseph Smith Journal,
November 9, 1835; cited in Dean C. Jesse, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Richard L.
Jensen, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals Volume 1:1832-1839 (Salt
Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008, pp. 88-89)

[3] "...
who in his right mind could for one moment suppose the
Bible in its present form to
be a perfect guide? Who knows that even one verse of the
Bible has escaped pollution, so as to convey the same sense now that
it did in the original?" (LDS Apostle Orson Pratt, Divine Authenticity
of the Book of Mormon, Page
47.)

[4]
“The Book of Mormon is a
convincing evidence of the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph
Smith.” (The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, p. 15)

[5]
“Beginning in June 1830, Joseph Smith began a careful reading of the
Bible to revise and make
corrections in accordance with the inspiration he would receive…
In a process that took about three years, the Prophet made
changes, additions, and corrections as were given him by divine
inspiration while he filled his calling to provide a more correct
translation for the Church…” (Statement from Kent P. Jackson, who was a
professor of ancient scripture at BYU, How We Got the Book of Moses,
Kent P. Jackson, in Religious Educator 3, no. 1, 2002, p. 127)

[6] "… for
behold they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which
are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord have
they taken away. And all this have they done that they might blind the
eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men" (1 Nephi 13:26-27)

[7] “We
believe the Bible to be the
word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the
Book of Mormon to be the word
of God” (Articles of Faith 1:8).

[8] (THE
BOOK OF MORMON ANOTHER
TESTAMENT OF JESUS CHRIST - title of the 2006 edition)

[9] “As
part of the Restoration of the gospel, God brought forth the
Book of Mormon” (The
Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, p. 15)

[10]
"Amalickiah conspires to be king—Moroni raises the title of liberty—He
rallies the people to defend their religion—True believers are called
Christians—A remnant of Joseph shall be preserved—Amalickiah and the
dissenters flee to the land of Nephi—Those who will not support the
cause of freedom are put to death. Between 73 and 72 B.C." (Introduction
to Alma 46)

[11]
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if
I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7, KJV / JST)

Therefore being by
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and
hear.” (Acts 2:32-33 KJV / JST)

[13] “The
Nephites and the Lamanites are all converted to the Church of Christ “
(Book of Mormon, Introduction to
4 Nephi)

[14] “And
it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all
converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites
and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among
them, and every man did deal justly one with another. And how blessed
were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings; yea, even
they were blessed and prospered until an hundred and ten years had
passed away; and the first generation from Christ had passed away, and
there was no contention in all the land.” (Book of Mormon, 4 Nephi 1:2
and 18)

[15] “When Peter came to
Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.

Before certain men came from James, he used to
eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and
separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who
belonged to the circumcision group.

The other Jews
joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas
was led astray.” (Galatians 2:11-13, NIV)

[16]
“Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied
to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you
received for the land?” (Acts, 5:3, NIV)

[17]
“Jacob and Joseph seek to persuade men to believe in Christ and keep his
commandments—Nephi dies—Wickedness prevails among the Nephites. Between
544 and 421 B.C.” (Book of
Mormon, Introduction to Jacob)

[18]
"...the terminologies [of the Book of Mormon] and the language used and
the methods of explaining and putting things down are 19th century
literary concepts and cultural experiences one would expect Joseph Smith
and his colleagues would experience…
It seems like there are anachronisms. It seems like the items are
out of time and place…" (Book of
Mormon Archeology, Sunstone Symposium, August 25, 1984, Dr. Ray T.
Matheny, professor of Anthropology at BYU, typed copy transcribed from a
tape-recording, pp. 30-31)

After the death of
Jesus Christ, wicked people persecuted the Apostles and Church members
and killed many of them. With the death of the Apostles, priesthood keys
and the presiding priesthood authority were taken from the earth. The
Apostles had kept the doctrines of the gospel pure and maintained the
order and standard of worthiness for Church members. Without the
Apostles, over time the doctrines were corrupted, and unauthorized
changes were made in Church organization and priesthood ordinances, such
as baptism and conferring the gift of the Holy Ghost. (A Guide to
Missionary Service, Preach My Gospel, 2004 - Published by The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah, p. 35)

[20] “… I
knew that God told me this was true, I knew that I'd read the
Book of Mormon and that I had
prayed, and that I had done everything the Missionaries told me to do
and that I, without any question, knew that this 14 year old boy in New
York, ‘Joseph Smith,’ was actually a prophet of God and that the
Book of Mormon was actually the word of God and that the truth had
been restored, and I couldn't prove it, I didn't, I didn't have any
proof, and, and so it wasn't, it wasn't anything that was logical, to
ask me what I was thinking, I wasn't thinking. I was feeling. And, I
hadn't ever really been in touch with my emotions before, and, I didn't
realize how much more powerful that would be." (Jennifer bearing
testimony, Narrative from, The Restoration of Truth, How Can I Know This
Is True, 2008, video, @ Mormon.org)

[21]"THE 1876 EDITION.
In 1876 Orson Pratt, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and
Church historian, acting under the direction of President Brigham Young,
prepared a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants in Salt Lake City.
He divided each revelation into verses and added twenty-six revelations
not previously included. They are now sections 2, 13, 77, 85, 87,
108-11, 113-18, 120-23, 125, 126, 129-32, and 136..." (Doctrine and Covenant
Editions,
Author Woodford, Robert J)

[22]
"... Peter, James and John, apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, conferred
upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the Melchizedek Priesthood,
including the holy apostleship as promised by John the Baptist,
which
gave them the necessary authority to organize the church and kingdom of
God upon the earth in this dispensation. Accordingly, The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints was organized with six members at
Fayette, Seneca County, New York, on the sixth day of April, 1830." (A
Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Legrand Richards, p.83, 1976)

Also,

"In this, the modern Church of Christ, the priesthood is structured in
several different stages or offices. The first degree of authority is
called the Aaronic Priesthood, after Aaron of the Old Testament. Men who
hold this degree are in the office of a deacon, teacher, or priest,
progressively. The completeness of divine authority is bestowed in the
form of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and has offices including elder,
high priest, seventy, and apostle. These various offices are in place so
that the individual priesthood holder can find personal growth and
development as he performs increasing duties and service for others in
an organized manner." (Priesthood Authority, Mormon.org, 2012)

[23]
"David Whitmer, like Joseph Smith, Lucy Mack Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and
Martin Harris, has greatly influenced our perceptions of Mormon
beginnings. Interviewed on more than fifty occasions, Whitmer related
over and over again what he knew about the coming forth of the Book of
Mormon, the organization of the church, and his experience as a
restoration witness." (David Whitmer and the Shaping of Latter-day Saint
History, Kenneth W. Godfrey, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute)

[24] "Brethren,
it is solemn mockery before God to have established in the church to-day
this important office of which Christ alone is worthy. The office of
Elder is spoken of all through the New Testament as being in the church,
but not one High Priest; then of course they had no High Priests in the
church upon the eastern continent.

Now Brethren, seeing they had no High Priests in
the church of Christ of old, and none in the church of Christ in these
last days until almost two years after its beginning--when the leaders
began to drift into error; remembering the fact of the revelation being
changed two years after it was given to include High Priests; taking
these things into consideration, how is it that any one can say that the
office of High Priest should be in the church of Christ to-day? I can
account for it only on the grounds of your spiritual blindness. This
matter is so plain and self-evident that any one should see and
understand it. Brethren, your blindness must be utter blindness. May God
have mercy on you is my prayer.

In no place in the word of God does it say that an Elder is after the
order of Melchisedec, or after the order of the Melchisedec Priesthood.
An Elder is after the order of Christ. This matter of 'priesthood,'
since the days of Sydney Rigdon, has been the great hobby and
stumbling-block of the Latter Day Saints.